The Portland daily press., 1887-06-18
AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY.
The Many Uses TO Which the Detec-
tive Camera is Put.
New York Commercial Advertiser

NEW YORK commercial Advertiser
The amateur photographer is an individual
who has developed with unprecedented rapid
ity in the last few years. He is to be met with
In all parts of the world, and has the rest of
mankind at his mercy as long as the sun
SHINES. 1t isno longer enough to avoid the
man who carries the big yellow box and tri-
pod. The first person you meet in the street
may be taking your photograph from an ex-
tremely small and unObtrusive buttonhole,
through which peeps the nozzle of a lens no
Digger than pea. Underneath his coat is a
disk which revolves and makes an exposure
by means of string, which the pedestrian
may operate from his pocket In a mornings
walk the amateur photographer can obtain
SIX small pictures without changing his plate.
AS may well be imagined. he can gather in
this way glimpses of humanity which were
never before put down la black and white
with so much truth. For once he catches
mankind mapping, and gathers in time re-
markable little collection of genre pictures.
we have in New York club of amateurs.
and there are others in Boston, Philadelpnla.
'f'tsburg and in every city of Importance
thu. -hout the country. Many of their
members have gone so deeply into the sub
Ject as to surpass even old professionals in
their work. In spite of all the improvements
made in photography lately, success in it is
still an art. 1t requires good perception.
GOODNESS, feeling for pictorial effect and
other qualities akin to those found In the
painter. All the improvements in the art
have been those which reduce mechanical
labor, or which widen the range of the photo
graph: In old times the tedious sensitizing
Oh plates ana the uncertainty of subsequent
the dry plate is used. 1t can be packed in
boxes Tor travelling, stored away and not de-
yeloped for months after the exposure has
1 %t made and still give, perfect picture
Ne1t 70 tnls, the most valuable improvement
made has been in the rapid sensitizing of the
gelatlne film. In former times an exposure
to the broad sunlight sometimes lasted for a
minute or more. To-day the film is made SO
sensitive that the streak of lightning has
Deen Photographed, or, still better, the can
non-ball, as 1t energies from fine mouth of
the cannon, has been taken broadside, as it
hung suspended in the air. Naturally these
great improvements have called into use
many new inventions, the art has been re-
duced to simplicity of operation that has
made 1t popular, and it has been put to MANY
new and good uses. None of these uses,
however, can compare in value to that which
the artist has made of it. For him the cam cam
era with all its modern improvements has
% become ION priceless companion. 1t places in
IN MS hands new notebook to be used
when the sketching block is impossible. II
gives MN memoranda in a flash of time,
which days of careful work could not fnl
ly and satisfactorily furnish The move
ments Oh men, animals, closed forms, wind,
ram, poats, cars and myriad other things
We're before matters of guess-worK. He now
learns new truths about all the objects that
surround him, from the strange motions of
tne pro- wing, to the swaying of the oak
before the storm, or the ripple of the wave
along the beach. In subsequent work these
memoranda are suggestive and of the high
est possible usefulness. For such work as
TINS a modification of the detective camera.
as IL is called, is chiefly used. The detective
camera is simply botv containing a plate
w isnt can be carried in the hand. The OBJ
lect can be qnickly focused and bv mechani-
cal devices the image is thrown instantane-
ousiy upon the plate. The operation can be
performed so rapidly as to attract no atten-
ZION, even In crowded city street. The ex
posed plate, at convenient time, is removed.
tne automatic shutter is set, another plate
put In and the camera is ready for the first
desirable scene which turns up. A we'll
known painter who recently made flying
visit to the South, managed to take 600 neg
atlves, 800 of which he claims can be of use
to him. He carried his box and number of
suitable object coming toward him, he would
stop for moment as the object passed and
quite unsuspectingly took its picture. In the
streets of cities he was in the habit of study
ing the faces of the negroes as they ap
would pause as the subject passed by.
When opposite to him he tnrned the box
toward the individual, smilingly said. Good
morning, auntie;" or How do you do, uncle"
and as they turned to answer him courteous
~, OF 70 remark, Don't you auntie me-" he
negro,s expressions and SURROUNDINGS